Neverlander: Wondrous Terrible
by t.j.guard
Summary: Peter Pan has disappeared into Wonderland, and it's up to the Lost Boys, Tinker Bell, and Captain Hook to find him. But can they survive the strange environment they find themselves in, its soldiers and queen, or its secret but powerful evil?
1. The Human Wall

Neverlander: Wondrous Terrible

Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time, or Rufio from Hook either.

A/N: Begins immediately after the epilogue of Wraith and Love three.  
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The Human Wall

Rumpelstiltskin watched Bae and Morraine walk out through the main hall to the front door, catching snippets of conversation about a baron and his brother who had been conning the people for months and thus had to be stopped. He didn't catch a location, but it didn't much matter. It appeared that the situation was well under control.

He leaned back in his chair and smiled to himself as the door closed behind the two youths.

Belle leaned against the chair, one arm supporting her and her free hand on her hip. She was following Rumpelstiltskin's gaze with a smirk. "Everything seems to be going well," she said.

"Indeed it does," he repiled.

OUAT

It had been almost three months since Peter Pan had been reported missing. The pirates had split themselves between Pallorwall and the forest, moving to and fro as the harbor filled or emptied. Several had become good friends of some of the Merry Men.

And Tinker Bell had exausted lead after lead after lead trying to find Peter Pan.

She sank onto the bed on her back with a groan, some part in pain but most of it in exasperation. "I'd ask if you're alright, but the answer is quite obvious, in my opinion," Hook said from the table. "Would you like to talk about it?"

She propped herself up with her arms. "The kid disappeared off the face of the frickin' earth." Again, she fell onto her back.

"I've a feeling you should stop doing that."

"Don't make me punch you." Hook chuckled softly. "I'm serious."

"I know."

"So don't make a joke out of it."

He walked over to her and sat next to her. "I take the liberty because I know I'm not the root of your troubles. Rather, the problem is not anger, but fear. You're afraid Peter Pan is going to go on another killing spree."

"Damn you."

"See that? You know I'm right."

"Double damn you."

Hook chuckled again, and Tinker Bell sat up and gave him a slap on the back side of his head. "Alright, alright, let's call it a draw."

"I'll take it." She lay down for a third time, more gently than either of two previous attempts combined. "Now, we have to change course when we look for Peter. Where do we start?"

"With the Lost Boys."

OUAT

Rufio led the Lost Boys deeper inland, but as far as he or anyone else could see, there was simply no way around the impenetrable defense at the border. The daylight was fading. "We go back to camp to regroup," he called. Almost as one, the Lost Boys turned around to retrace their steps.

As they walked, he mused. He had long since dubbed the defense erected in the forest the Human Wall, for it was comprised entirely of soldiers armed to the teeth with the deadliest of weapons, some even he didn't recognize. He had gone down it to the shore and up by degrees to a point several miles inland where the forest began to fall away. The wall turned a sharp corner and continued on first perpedicular and then parallel to its original path. It stretched on seemingly into eternity.

And the soldiers' costumes were as strange as the defense they formed. They wore red-and-black painted armor, decorated exactly once, on the left breast, with the symbol of a given suit of playing cards and a designation ranging from ace to ten. Rufio had surmised that these were infantrymen, and the designation indicated the division to which each man belonged. If he ever saw any officers, he guessed they would be marked Jack and Knight and designated with the symbol of the division they led.

King and Queen, that was self-explanatory. The land on the other side of the Human Wall was divided into four united kingdoms, headed by Kings of Spades, Clubs, Diamonds, and Hearts. So many soldiers indicated a warlike or formerly warlike state, and it was therefore likely the four courts were comprised of distinguished military leaders.

Rufio called the group to halt before he could register why. He stepped to the front of the group and kept a hand in front of them. His gaze was fixed on the couple standing in their camp. "What're you doing here?" he asked Captain Hook and Tinker Bell, though the latter was bigger than he remembered.

"Rufio," Tinker Bell said. "We were looking for you."

He stepped forward and put his hand on the hilt of his dagger. "'Kay, so, whaddaya want?"

"We're looking for Peter Pan," Hook said.

"Join the club, if you can."

"No news?" Tink asked.

"Come with me. The rest of you, stay here." Tinker Bell and the captain followed Rufio through the forest. "So," Rufio asked after a moment, "how do you to come by working together?"

"Long story short, I was his spy," Tinker Bell replied. "Now we're dating."

"So I shouldn't be asking you why I should trust him."

"Actually, I'm not asking you to trust him. I have no right or reason to. We're just working together and it just so happens that the two of us," she gestured to herself and Rufio, "happen to have common interests."

"So long as you don't expect me to actually like your boyfriend, guess I can be cool with it."

"'Kay, good enough for me."

Rufio stopped them and pulled them behind a tree, pressing a finger to his lips. "They don't take kindly to people walking around. We've been getting a lot of death glares lately."

"Then they're not allowed to break rank," Hook replied. Rufio nodded and peered around the tree.

"Alright, a few feet more, but be quiet." They inched forward before Rufio again called them to stop. He gave a grand, sweeping gesture to the wall of soldiers before them but out of earshot. "I give you, the Human Wall."

"So you haven't found a way to get past it?"

Rufio dropped his hand and stared blankly at his two visitors. "Excuse me?"

"You haven't worked out a way to get beyond the wall?"

"N-no."

"What about from the sea?"

"Tried that. It goes on forever there, too."

"It can't go on forever," Tinker Bell said. "Wonderland does and should, as a free and sovereign state, have clearly defined and finite borders."

"Wonderland?"

"That's what they're guarding, based on the uniforms. Those are strictly from Wonderland. Nowhere else in the world dares to dress their soldiers like that."

"I can see why."

"Is there a line behind them?" Tink asked.

"Can't tell exactly," Rufio replied, studying the Wall with narrow eyes, "but I've been up and down it several times and haven't seen a second line."

"So most of their soldiers go to border control? Damn."

"Damn's right."

Hook turned Rufio's head toward him. "What does this have to do with finding Peter Pan?"

"Oh, it's story time now. I thought you'd never ask." Hook slowly released the boy's face. "Peter flew into the forest. I watched him and tried to follow, but I lost him. Nobody in Pallorwall had anything to say, so I figured he'd managed to find his way to Witzend, but the trouble is, between us and Witzend is," he pointed to the Wall, "that."

Hook stepped back and peered at the Wall. "He flew, then."

"Most likely."

"That leaves us with a couple of options: we send a search and extraction team that can fly, as well, or we amass as many troops as possible and tear this wall down."

"Pirate has a point. Wow."

"But it'll be a bad idea if we send him, or me, now that I think about it," Tink said. "You'll probably have to lead it."

"What will you do?"

"If we need to, looking for backup, most likely."

"'Kay." He looked at the sun, now barely above the horizon. "Time to go back. Got a big day tomorrow." Tinker Bell and Captain Hook silently agreed.


	2. In Wonderland and On Assignment

In Wonderland and On Assignment

Rufio rose early the next morning and roused Slightly and two other Lost Boys whom he believed should accompany him. Then he studied the Wall with his small party. "What if they see us?" one of the Lost Boys asked.

"Not sure if they can afford to start exhausting weapons," Rufio replied. "In other words: dunno."

"Better start now," Slightly said, "before it's light."

"Yes, let's go."

The four took off at a steep angle. The soldiers at the Wall appeared not to notice them at all.

OUAT

Morraine stopped Baelfire and the other Merry Men with a gesture. "What is it?" he asked. She shushed him. Many of the Merry Men armed their bows, and some were even aiming in the direction in which Bae and Morraine were looking. She gestured for him to follow, and they crept forward a few paces before stopping again. Through the foliage could be seen a row of strangely clad, red-and-black-painted soldiers. "What on earth?"

"No idea, but certainly worth investigating later, don't you think?" she replied.

"Absolutely. The question now is, will this impede us in our progress? And if so, do we have to talk our way out of it?"

"To the first, I say, don't think so. See there." She pointed to the corner where the wall of soldiers turned sharply to go off into the distance.

"How many soldiers are there?"

"No idea."

Bae nodded and continued on, occasionally glancing at the wall. The others followed him.

OUAT

The four Lost Boys landed in a darkened portion of the forest just as the sun appeared over the horizion. The trees here seemed dead, and the rest of the forest was populated by giant mushrooms. Slightly looked about him in wonder and curiosity. Rufio closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of this strange place.

It was a silent place for somewhere so odd. Not even the breeze stirred any vegitation in the distance.

Finally, after several long minutes of listening past the noise of the Lost Boys for anything worthwhile, he heard something. His eyes snapped open and looked up at the tree he was facing. A puff of smoke was dissipating and in its place was a caterpillar smoking a hookah. The other three Lost Boys soon took notice, and eight eyes watched the caterpillar relax and get high.

Finally, Rufio approached it. "Who are you? Where are we?" he asked.

"I am a caterpillar, and you are in Wonderland," the caterpillar replied, breathing smoke in between his responses.

"Doesn't look very wonderful," one of the Lost Boys said.

"As in its general dreary demeanor? That is on part of the Queen of Hearts."

"What about the others?" Rufio asked.

"What others?"

"Aren't there other rulers?"

"You're new here, aren't you?"

"I don't understand. What are you talking about? There should be four rulers, one for each suit in a deck of playing cards."

"There should be, yes, but you know nothing of politics."

"Why does the caterpillar sound sober?" a Lost Boy asked.

"Dunno," Rufio replied.

The caterpillar went on. "If you knew anything about anything at all, you'd know people do what they can to gain and keep power. It's really as simple as that."

Rufio blinked, but gradually it began to make sense. "One of them took over and finished off the other three."

"Exactly."

"So, hearts, right?"

The caterpillar nodded. Marching footsteps could be heard. The caterpillar disappeared, and Rufio pulled the other three behind a tree and kept them quieter than mice while fearing that his own heart could be heard for miles around. The marching faded back the way it had come. The Lost Boys relaxed and ventured deeper into the forest.

OUAT

Bae adjusted his cloak and walked toward the inn in the village. It seemed to be, judging by the horses tied to a post at the front, where the baron and his brother had chosen to stay the night. He walked into the inn and asked a few questions of the bartender in a manner resembling small talk. The bartender was kind enough to gesture to a table in the corner where the two in question sat. Bae thanked him and walked over.

"The next round's on me, gentlemen," he said with a smile.

"Well, look at this," the baron said. "He's still wet behind the ears." The brothers laughed, and in spite of himself, Bae chuckled as well, to keep up the charade. "What's he going to buy, mother's breastmilk?"

Bae's smile dropped, and he punched the baron across the temple. The noble's brother shot to his feet and yelled, "Treason! Treason!" Bae punched him, as well.

"Sit down," he said in a cold voice. The brothers obeyed. "Now, where's the money you've been stealing from the people of your district?"

The brothers looked at each other and said in conjunction, "We don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do, which is how you can support the lifestyle evidenced by your dress. So, where's the money?"

"Look, I don't think you understand the tax code," the baron said. His pitch rose, and he began to fidget.

"I don't need to understand the tax code. All I need to understand is you're taxing your people twice what is required and keeping the profit to split between the two of you. It ends today with you giving me the money, and if it ever happens again, I will know, and within the fortnight, you will have nothing but the clothes on your backs and a bare estate. Is that clear?"

"Who are you?" the baron's brother asked.

Bae leaned forward, looked them both in the eye, and said, "Robin Hood." The brothers blanched, and the baron produced a purse and placed it on the table. "Thank you." Bae took the purse and walked out of the inn.


	3. Peter Pan in Wonderland

Peter Pan in Wonderland

"Maybe we shouldn't be here," the Lost Boy, who previously hadn't uttered a word, said.

"It's okay," Rufio replied softly.

"This place looks really weird," the other Lost Boy said.

"Yes, it does."

The mushrooms had gotten larger, more numerous, and more dense the deeper they passed into the forest. Every now and again Rufio's hair would rub against the underside of a comparatively small mushroom, and he would then have to dust spores out of his hair. Slightly asked, "Are you sure we're going to find Peter Pan?"

"No," Rufio said. "But unless someone has a better idea, this is what we've got."

"What if we get caught? The Human Wall means we're not supposed to be here," the mostly mute Lost Boy said.

"I know. We'll leave the same way we got in."

"What if we can't?"

Rufio fell silent, and two of the Lost Boys exchanged glances. Slightly gaped at the teenager leading them into this strange new land, but he, too, was at a loss for words. They continued on in silence for almost thirty minutes.

A voice from the top of a mushroom cleared its throat and said, "You four are lost."

"And you better get lost," Rufio snapped.

The cheshire cat appeared, licking his forepaw and seeming not to pay any attention to Rufio's comment. Finally, he looked at the Lost Boys and said, "You seek your former leader, even though he's insane. You're doing it just to find the boy, which is perfectly understandable, but you won't find him here, in this region of Wonderland."

"So where is he?"

"I cannot tell exactly, but I would guess somewhere in the Spades region, north of here. Though, I wouldn't recommend going there in the near future, because you're not the only one looking for him."

"Who else?"

"Who do you think?"

Rufio opened his mouth to curse out the cat, but he stopped. "The King of Hearts," he said.

"Queen. The nation is controlled by a queen now, and she is a rather violent madam, if I do say so myself. Her favorite method of execution is decapitation, for one, and she's made every crimne a capital one, recieving the punishment of the removal of one's head as penalty. Oh, and she does like to have the person live past their own decapitation, too, for her amusement."

"You seem to want to talk," Slightly said. "Why?"

"For your benefit more than mine."

Rufio eyed the cat, but he showed no sign of playing a game with them. He glanced at the sun, half-way to the western horizon, and then looked back at the cat, contentedly grooming his paws as if nothing had happened. "We better go," Slightly said. The others silently agreed with and followed him back toward the Human Wall.

OUAT

Peter pulled his knees even closer to his face. The spell of the strange land he now found himself in had failed to take root, so he was left with near constant hallucinations of giant crocodiles and everything from Neverland turning against him and killing him. And it all gave him a pounding headache.

He tried several times to breathe deeply and tell himself that what he was seeing wasn't real, to no avail, so he reluctantly began to resign himself to his delirium.

"Hello?"

Peter started and scrambled back, looking about him before at length noticing a hare in a ragged suit. "Who are you?" Peter asked. "Wait, you're a hallucination."

"I'm no hallucination."

"That's what they all say." The hare kicked Peter in the shin. Peter sank to his knees.

"Come with me, if you feel up to it." The hare turned and started back into the forest.

"You didn't answer my question."

The hare stopped and looked over his shoulder. "I am March," he said.

"Am I mad?"

"We're all mad here."

OUAT

March led the boy to the table and offered tea. The boy shook his head no. March poured himself a cup and sat down. "Please, sit." The boy sat down. "You look peaked. Are you well?"

"I'm mad," the boy said tonelessly. "You said so yourself."

"I said we're all mad here, not that you yourself are mad. In fact, you might be quite sane."

"I'm mad. You sound sane."

"Oh, I'm mad."

"Then this place defines madness strangely."

"Madness is a requirement. It renders one a citizen of Wonderland."

"Who made that rule?"

"The Queen of Hearts."

"Who's she?"

"Why, she's the queen, of course."

"You mean she rules here."

"Exactly, my good fellow. She is mad, her court is mad, so we are all mad."

"Madness is...a fashon statement?"

"In a sense."

The boy looked down at his hands, though March could discern the boy's furrowed brow. He sipped his tea and set the saucer down on the table. "I can see you're troubled by this."

"I thought I was born with it."

"Some of us are."

"Oh."

"This place is strange to outsiders, which is why the Wall makes no sense. We hardly have them anyway."

"So how do you pass time? Surely living here alone is no fun."

"We're not alone. We have our cohorts and our delusions." The boy studied March, his brow still creased. "I will allow you to believe this is a hallucination. It helps it go down easier."

The boy nodded. "My name's Peter Pan. I wanna learn the rules so I can play the game."


	4. How Fast Word Travels

How Fast Word Travels

"Any news?" one of the Lost Boys who stayed at camp asked when the four returned.

"He's in a place called the Spades region, north of here," Rufio replied.

"How far north?" another, older boy asked.

"Really far. I don't even know if we can get there without getting caught."

"Now what?" a third boy asked.

"We need a new plan. I'm open to suggestions."

OUAT

Jefferson helped Grace with the daily herbal mixture Doc prescribed and glanced out the window, his eye attracted by a flash. "Are you alright?" Grace asked in a raspy voice.

"Yeah. Take it easy on yourself when you talk, alright?" he replied, stepping toward the door. He slipped out before he heard a knock. The Rabbit was standing before him, shaking like a leaf on a windy autumn day. "What?"

"The Queen, she is looking for a boy lost in the forest," he said, fighting a stutter the way a warrior would a dragon.

"What boy?"

"The rumors are uncertain, but many seem to believe it is Peter Pan."

"The crazy kid?"

"They are all mad there."

"Yes, I know that, but Peter Pan is legitimately crazy."

"Well, yes, that is the rumor."

"The Queen's looking for him, so soldiers are out in the forests. Where's the boy now?"

"With March."

Jefferson instantly relaxed. "Good," he breathed. "Tell March that whatever happens, the boy has to stay out of the Queen's hands."

"We know."

"Good. Now, has anyone else been looking for him?"

"Cheshire reports that a group of Lost Boys have been in the forest in search of him."

"So they're free."

"So I...I gather."

"If they're free, Neverland's free, and his mind is in pieces. Wonderland'll be a perfect place for him, right now, if the Queen stops looking for him."

"Doubt that will happen. Genuine madness is rare, and most who have it are in her court."

"And the madder the court, the madder Wonderland, the more delirious the citizens." The Rabbit nodded, and Jefferson spared a glance over his shoulder. "Just, tell March to keep the kid safe, and keep me informed. If you or Cheshire see the kids again, let me know, and Rabbit?"

"Yes?"

"Above all else, be. Careful." The Rabbit nodded and scurried off. Jefferson returned to the house.

OUAT

Emma chewed her lip and studied her reflection, pondering how to make the white poofy dress more suitable to her tastes. She oscillated between ripping part of the skirt off and wearing pants underneath, as she had once seen Regina do, and removing the dress in entirety and choosing her own clothes.

Ultimately, the choice was made for her when a guard introduced the White Rabbit, who bounded into the room and commenced fidgeting and saying, "We know where Peter Pan is."

"Finally," Emma replied. "That's it, I'm getting out of this thing." She stepped off the pedestal in front of the mirror and walked deeper into the chambers. She emerged some ten minutes later, tightening a holster belt around her waist and then finishing putting on her red jacket. "Where is he?"

"Wonderland, with the March Hare."

"Good match. Where in Wonderland, though?"

"What used to be the Spades Kingdom. March lives there."

"Is March a good guy or a bad guy?"

"I'm not sure I know what you mean."

Emma sighed. "Is he working for us, fighting monsters and evil queens and such?"

"Yes, in his own way."

"Okay. Everyone in Wonderland is mad, yes?"

"After a fashion." Emma nodded. "But...this is also political. The Queen of Hearts wants Peter Pan, too. She is searching the Spades region for him, with almost every soldier that isn't holding the Wall."

"Wall? What wall?"

"The Soldiers' Barricade is the technical term for it. The border of Wonderland is literally lined with men standing shoulder to shoulder, armed to the teeth to protect the borders. You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to get in and out. But somehow Lost Boys got in-"

"Lost Boys can fly."

"Yes, of course."

"Thanks. We'll figure out what to do from here. You can leave now." The Rabbit scurried out almost before she finished her sentence. Emma dismissed the maids who had decided to force her into the dress and then walked into her parents' rooms. "We found Peter Pan," she said to Snow White.

"Where is he?" she replied.

"Wonderland."

"Can we get to him?"

"Doesn't sound that way. The borders are cut off by soldiers."

"So if we wanna try to go in and bring the boy back as a fugitive from justice, we're screwed?"

"Basically, yeah."

"So what do we do about him? It's not like we can negotiate with the Queen of Hearts. She's crazy."

"The whole country is crazy, apparently."

"That's their little ideal that they're striving for, or the Queen is. It's weird, but that's how it works."

"Great." Emma flopped into a chair with a sigh. She lay her head against the chair's back. Snow smiled sadly at the sight. It always bothered her when Emma was stuck on a case like this, but she seemed to be taking it remarkably well.

"We'll fix this," she said. "We just don't know how yet."

"You're right," Emma replied.

OUAT

"According to our Lost Boy friends, Peter's some distance north," Tink said, walking into the room she shared with Hook.

"Should only be a matter of time, then," the captain replied.

"And getting past the Human Wall."

"Yes, but that proved actually quite easy, to hear some of the Lost Boys tell it."

"All you need are happy thoughts and pixie dust, and speaking of, my back's not hurting quite so much."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it."

She walked over and sat next to him on the bed, her elbows on her knees and her hands folded in front of her. "It means I've got a few months left, and then I'm a fairy again."

"That doesn't sound like a happy thought."

"It's not." She looked down. "I don't think I'm ever gonna see you again after I change back, and if I do, then..."

He lay his hand on hers. "It's going to be alright."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." He kissed her between the eyebrows and then on the lips.

"I need you to be ready in case it's not. I find that it hurts less if you've been prepared," she whispered. He nodded and kissed her again.


	5. The Messenger

Messenger

Peter noticed as March explained Wonderland politics to him through the game of chess and a deck of playing cards that his headaches were getting fewer and farther between, though he had had only a few days to go on. He also noticed that, while he wasn't his old self, he wasn't quite a new self, either.

But at the end of the day, he had horrible nightmares and night terrors and woke to cold sweats, aching limbs, and his own heavy breathing. Carefully he would roll onto his back and stare at the ceiling for a few hours before falling asleep again.

And not a word would he mention of this to the March Hare, mo matter how fasnionable sanity was in this crazy place.

During one of these late nights, it took him longer to fall asleep than usual. He'd just dreamed about cutting off his father's hand and feeding it to a giant crocodile. The crocodile hadn't met him before, but merely happened to be there at the time. But now the crocodile depended on Peter for his next taste of Captain Hook. And it was the captain and Tinker Bell who would ultimately kill the crocodile, together, and then they freed Neverland.

And somehow, while the idea of them being together seemed unacceptable at face value, he couldn't figure out why and had therefore concluded, during his hours of staring at the ceiling, that the thought was not his. But he had no idea where it came from, and he had no means of figuring that out, unless...unless he tried to talk to his father about what happened throughout his life, since he'd had the idea as long as he could remember that his father had had his shot at love and then missed it. Maybe he was born with it, but where did it come from before that?

His head throbbed with the questions buzzing around in it, but it was different from the skull-splitting migraines he'd experienced for months now.

He wanted answers, but he believed he'd be considered truly, incurably insane if he asked. He rolled onto his side and curled his limbs into himself. Tears welled in his eyes, and he whispered, "I want my dad back."

OUAT

March looked down at the floor, his hand on the door frame. The boy called Peter Pan had been having nightmares for days. It was no surprise that he was shaken and ready for help. But March had no idea where or how to begin, and he doubted that asking the boy outright would do any good.

He walked back to the dining room and began to steep himself some water for tea. If he listened carefully, he could hear the soldiers marching up one of the more oft-used roads of their region. He smirked at the thought of them attempting the roads March knew well. The bumbling idiots would probably get lost and run around in circles and into each other.

The kettle hissed, so he poured the water into a cup and dipped a bag into it. He took it to the table and sat down, musing over it. The cheshire cat and the White Rabbit hadn't returned yet from outside Wonderland, so March wondered if the trod had been found and closed. Or, more likely, they were taking the long road through Diamond, the eastern section of Wonderland, to avoid the soldiers.

And Cheshire probably had to literally disappear off the face of the earth for a while. The political pressure could get to anyone.

Finally, March's tea cooled enough, and he took a sip.

He wanted to help Peter, badly. The boy broke his heart. But also had to deal with hiding Peter, waiting for news from beyond the border, and finding a new safe house, if it came to that, for the few of them that there were. And even then, they wouldn't ever, in a million years, have the resources to defeat the Queen of Hearts. The Six Impossible Things didn't apply here. There wasn't even a word for the task Jefferson had set for them, no matter how solid it was in principle.

A cat appeared across the table from him, lying down with his paws tucked underneath him and his tail curled around him. "Yes?" March asked.

"The Rabbit is safe, but he has to hide for a while with the caterpillar and the Dormouse," the cat replied.

"Good. And the others searching for the boy?"

"Express fear at getting past the Soldiers' Barricade."

"Cheshire, what do you know about the father of a boy named Peter Pan?"

The cat looked up from his grooming, eyes wide. "Peter Pan?" he whispered.

"His father."

"That's even worse. Where is he?"

"I don't know. I have the boy with me now."

The cat stood and walked over to March, peering at him over his tea cup. "Listen to me. Peter Pan's father was the boatswain to Blackbeard himself and now commands a crew of his own. If you anger him, I'll be arranging your funeral, and we need our numbers. We can't be one short."

"I don't want to cross a pirate. I want to get in touch with him for the sake of his son."

"Personal matters are dangerous in this line of work."

"I know, but the boy is experiencing terrible visions. Every night he wakes from sleep because of them, and he sometimes sees them in waking. I cannot relate to the boy, I can't do much for him. He himself pled for his father. Need I plead my case any further, cat?"

The cat sighed and sat. "You are impossible, March."

"I have a head on my shoulders, a complete one."

"His name is Captain James Kilpatrick Hook the Fourth," the cheshire cat said, "and you have to find him yourself. And while you're doing so, you have to make arrangements for the management of the safe house yourself."

"Good. You're going to do it."

The cat's eyes widened again. "Me?"

"You said to make the arrangements myself, and you're convenient. Therefore, I'm appointing you."

The cheshire narrowed his eyes and growled. "Fine," he hissed.

OUAT

March walked onto the quay and counted off address numbers in his head until he found the hotel in question and entered. He asked for the fifth time for a James Kilpatrick Hook, to be given directions to the man's room, and he knocked on the door. A slender, toned man with long black hair answered, looked about him at eye level, and only drew his gaze to the hare when March cleared his throat. "Are you Captain Hook?" March asked.

"Yes," Hook replied.

"I'd like to speak with you about a...personal matter."

Hook stepped inside and gestured for the hare to enter, and he asked, "What personal matter does this regard?"

"I...I found a boy named Peter Pan. This is your son, yes?"

"Yes."

"I overheard him voice a desire to see you."

Hook's eyebrows shot skyward. "Where is he?"

"He's living with me, in a Wonderland safe house. It's tough to get in and out, but the boy..."

"I know." Hook knelt so he was eye level with March. "But you're proof that it can be done. The Lost Boys who went there and back are proof, as well." He paused. "Take me to see my son," he whispered.

"It'll be tricky, and I'll need you to stay as close to me as possible," March replied.

"I will."

"Then come with me."


	6. Attacked in a Mushroom

Attacked in a Mushroom

Hook followed the hare deep into the forest. They avoided the Lost Boys' camp, though he cast a glance toward Rufio and Slightly almost unintentionally. He also noticed that the Twins were missing from the group, perhaps in search of wood, for the fire was low.

They approached the Human Wall, and the hare stopped him, pressed a finger to his lips, and studied the Wall. After some moments, the hare looked back at the captain, nodded, and gestured for him to come forward. They moved closer to the wall. Hook held his breath, waiting for the soldiers to notice and shoot them both dead. But the hare led him to a tree. "Hope you're not anxious about soiling your shirt," the hare said. "You have to get low."

Hook lay on his stomach. The hare disappeared through a bush, and the pirate followed. They emerged through another bush into a forest populated largely by dead trees, darkness, and giant multi-colored mushrooms. "We're closer to the safe house here than where the Lost Boys were, even though the two regions look so alike," the hare said. "This way, please." They walked on.

OUAT

Rufio noticed the captain and the hare and instinctually knew where they were going. "Let's go, all of us," he said.

"All of us?" a Lost Boy asked.

"When the Twins come back."

"What about Tinker Bell?" another Lost Boy asked.

Rufio looked at the Wall. "I recommend telling her to find Robin Hood and the Merry Men and get them to wait here, if she can."

"How, if we're over there," an older boy asked, gesturing to the wall.

"I have been listening," Tinker Bell said. She leaned against a tree, her arms across her chest. "Tell ya what, I'll do it."

"Oh," Rufio said softly. "Thanks."

"Sure. Now, you guys get your butts to Wonderland."

The Twins emerged with armfuls of firewood. "What're we talking about?" they asked in conjunction.

"Going to Wonderland," Rufio said. "Drop the firewood and get ready to fly." The Twins both dropped the firewood before them.

OUAT

The sun got lower and the mushrooms bigger the deeper they got into the forest, but the woods were still silent. Hook noticed with trepidation that not even a single stream could be heard.

The hare gestured for Hook to follow him as he moved toward a blue, speckled mushroom, on the massive stalk of which was a door. Curiouser and curiouser, Hook thought, forgetting proper English for a moment. "We'll have to rest here tonight," the hare said. "We've got a long, dangerous day ahead of us. We might even meet the soldiers." The hare retreated deeper into the mushroom. Hook collapsed into a chair and stared at the door.

Rest for him would be impossible. He came here to find his son, and now he heard that he was going to face soldiers? He had no great track record with authorities, so he tried to avoid them as much as possible, but something about the way the hare discussed this particular brand of soldier was menacing.

He wondered if either he or Peter would live to see a reunion.

Wonderland, he thought, was too strange a place to live in. It seemed to suit the desires of a madman, or a madwoman, as a Queen commanded the country. And if it was a matter of trickery, smoke, and mirrors to get into Wonderland, he wondered what it would take to get out once they finished their business there.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes, and then he studied his hook. Perhaps coming armed was a good choice, after all, if what the hare described was true.

At a sound from outside the mushroom-he could hardly get over how strange that was-he shot to his feet and toppled his chair. He sensed a sudden stillness and froze, waiting. He held his hook in front of him. Finally, the noise came again, closer to the mushroom. It was followed by rapid movement, and someone kicked in the door.

A man painted like a playing card moved for him. Hook cut at a vulnerable place in the man's armor, near his neck, with his hook. The soldier tried to duck out of the way, and the captain grabbed the man's sword and pressed its tip to the man's chin. Rage and determination faded into unadulterated terror as he stared down the blade and into the black-haired man's surprisingly blue eyes.

But by then, other soldiers had barged in. Hook turned to fight them off, leaving the first guard to search for another weapon. He returned to the fight with Hook wielding a stool, which was reduced to ribbon in short order. By this time, the guard seriously considered running for his life.

Hook drove the sword through another man, and the first guard bolted out the door and into the forest.

Hook fought the other guards with some difficulty, though the hook, as always, was a valuable tool. He killed two others before the hare stumbled into the living room and mumbled something of a question about what happened. Hook stepped between the hare and the soldiers without breaking his rhythm. Another fell before he finally paused and backed off, his sword level with the nearest man's throat. "Big mistake, boys," he said.

"T-t-t-t-take it easy," the man said, holding his hands up. "We're leaving." He backed up, gestured to the door with his thumb, and urged the others to follow him out with one of his hands. "See? We're backing up, out of the house, and we're going. We won't tell a soul about this place. We swear."

"You'd better not, or I'll cut out your tongue and feed it to you." The man turned on his heel and disappeared out the door. The others soon followed. A moment later, Hook lowered the sword and turned toward the hare, but the hare had turned stiff as a board and fallen over. Hook buried the sword in a hypha and carried the hare over to the couch. Then he returned to the door and peered into the forest, but besides the disappearing soldiers, he saw and heard nothing.

OUAT

The hare woke some hours later, after the sun had risen and tried in vain to pour through the forest to the mushroom in which he and the captain resided. "Ugh, what happened last night? I thought I saw you fighting the soldiers," he groaned.

"I did," Hook replied. "And I won."

"The others will come for us. We need to move."

The hare tried to sit up, but Hook held his hand out to him. "You suffered quite a fright."

"And I'll have another one if they come back for us. I say again, we need to move."

Hook pulled his sword out of the hypha and tucked it into his belt. "Alright, if you feel like you're up to it." The hare bounded out of the mushroom house almost before either could think, and Hook followed, attempting to swallow a lump in his throat.


	7. Something Wicked This Way Comes

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Peter walked into the dining room to find March missing and the cheshire cat in his place. "Where'd March go?" he asked.

"Out looking for someone," the cat replied. "Foolish."

"Who?"

"It doesn't matter. It was a foolish action and now I'm stuck babysitting you."

Peter approached the cat and snarled, "Who is March looking for?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because I do."

"He went looking for a man named James Kilpatrick Hook." Peter straightened, eyed the cat for a moment, and then walked over to the door. "Don't think you're going to go look for him."

"Shut up."

"Aren't we cheery this morning."

"And apparently we're supposed to be apathetic toward each other." The cat wordlessly continued grooming. Peter stared out the window.

OUAT

Bae's shot went wide, but that wasn't his focus; it was on a ripple in the air, one of pure evil and hatred of the entire world. He dropped his bow and walked back into the castle. "What is it?" Belle asked when he reached the main hall.

"Where's Papa?" Bae asked.

"In his room. Why do you ask?"

"Something's happening."

"Then I suggest you better get going."

Bae turned to leave, but then he stopped, looked over his left shoulder, and said, "My bow and a quiver are in the garden. I figure you might like some practice, given that you hadn't had it in a while."

"Thanks."

So Belle walked into the garden and Bae up to his father's room.

OUAT

Rumpelstiltskin turned on his heel in front of the mirror when Bae opened the door. "What happened?" he asked.

"I don't know," Bae replied, "but it feels wrong."

"Wrong how?"

"Like evil and hatred toward everyone and everything."

"Can you be sure where it came from?"

"Somewhere northwest of here." Bae paused, studying the floor for a moment before meeting his father's gaze again. "If you want me to wager a guess, I'd say Wonderland."

OUAT

For almost half an hour, Peter stared out the window. The cheshire had long since disappeared, much to the former's relief, but Peter was still puzzled by what he was staring at. All he knew was that it was bad.

Finally, light glinted off the helmets of upwards of twenty men, marching in ranks of four toward the safe house. How did they know where they were? Peter wondered. Safe houses were supposed to be safe. That was why they were called that.

Peter turned and walked through the house toward the back door, slipped out, and ran into the forest.

He continued to run, listening for soldiers behind him but for a long time hearing nothing. The twigs and dead underbrush threatened to trip him up several times, but he kept his footing. Giant mushrooms dropped spores, and he managed to dust them off without breaking his rhythm.

Finally, he tripped on a rock and stumbled into a river bed. His lungs burned, and he coughed and shook. His head pounded, and he thought he was about to lapse into a long and particularly rough episode.

He heard something rustle in the forest around him, and he bolted to his feet and grabbed a rock. He held it up, ready to strike or throw, and his breathing was heavy for an entirely different reason. "Show yourself," he yelled, his voice raspy. His eyes jumped from point to point in his surroundings, waiting for the sound again.

It came, from the same general location as before. He snapped his head toward it. "What do you want?" he yelled.

To Peter's surprise, Hook emerged from the forest, his hands up and a bare sword hanging from his belt. The rock fell from Peter's hand, and he sank to his knees. Hook scrambled over to him and knelt in front of him. "Peter," he whispered, resting his hand and forearm on the boy's shoulders. "Peter, are you alright?"

Peter blinked at his father, his eyes slightly unfocused. "What's happening?" he whispered. His voice shook slightly. "Am I hallucinating? Is this real? I don't understand."

"That's okay. We can help you with that."

"You can?"

Hook nodded. "Yes."

"There," someone yelled. "Intruders." Hook pulled the boy toward the woods where he had emerged and moved between Peter and the source of the sound. Then he drew the sword and waited. "Who goes there?"

Then a figure emerged.

OUAT

Rumpelstiltskin returned to the mirror, and Bae stepped forward and asked, "What is it? Do you see anything?"

Rumpelstiltskin looked from the mirror to the window in the direction Bae had earlier indicated. "I think you might be on to something," he said softly, his fingers curling slowly toward his palm. Bae didn't see it, but Rumpelstiltskin's eyes softened.

"So...what do we do?" Bae asked.

"Well, Bae," Rumpelstiltskin answered, turning toward his son, "I'm not entirely sure, but I do know this."

"What?"

"Something wicked this way comes."


	8. Convergence

Convergence

Following the first figure were several others, and soon after them enough to complete a score. Both Hook and Peter discerned that the hare had scurried off, leaving them outnumbered ten to one. "Put the weapon down," the first man said, holding his arms up in a pacifying gesture. "We just wanna talk."

"You want to take me to your queen, and I will be decapitated," Hook retorted.

"What if I told you we could get you safely out of the country before she had the chance?"

"Doubt that would work."

"Yeah, you're right. You're very likely to die at the end of this. I...I'm not gonna lie."

"Honesty. Good form."

"Uh, thanks."

"Of course. So, you score of men are here to arrest us, a father and son? We're only trying to return home. Surely our personal problems, which we will work out, by the way, don't merit the attention of the queen of a far-off and exotic land."

"Under ordinary circumstances, yes, but you two are tresspassers."

"Yes, we are." Hook buried the sword in the dirt between himself and the guard speaking to him.

"Dad," Peter whined.

"It's the truth, boy."

Four guards walked around the first and grabbed them both at the elbows. Peter immediately began to fight, but the captain seemed to resign himself to his fate. A man had to knock Peter near unconscious before he, too, did the same.

OUAT

"Well, this is certainly a strange matter," Morraine said after Bae finished explaining what had occurred between himself and his father. "Perhaps it has something to do with the wall of soldiers."

"I thought that, too," Bae replied. "The question is, what exactly is happening?"

She shrugged. "Beats the hell out of me, as Emma would say."

He turned his eyes toward the northwest. The after-effects of the pulse could still be felt. Bae feared that his father might be right.

OUAT

"So, do we get a one call from jail?" Peter asked as the jailer turned the key in the lock. For want of space, he was cellmate to his father and a crazy old coot chained to the wall.

"Sorry, kid, but good try," the jailer replied.

Peter stood and walked over to the cell door. "I said, do we get one call from jail?"

The jailer, now forced to stare directly into Peter's eyes, said softly, "I'll see what I can do," before retreating.

Peter turned to face the cell and sank into a seated position, rubbing his eyes. "I hate being out of it," he murmured. "This is usually so easy."

"Well, how long have you spent in a blend of hallucination and reality?" Hook replied.

"How'd you know about that?"

Hook smirked as if to say, "I have my ways." Peter eyed the pirate for a moment before leaning against the wall and staring at the corner between the wall and the floor, his arms wrapped around his knees.

OUAT

Rufio and Slightly landed the Lost Boys near a dry river bed far deeper into Wonderland than they'd come originally. The Twins began to run off toward a mammoth green mushroom; two other Lost Boys grabbed them and pulled them back. Rufio looked up at the sun and then to his the east, in the direction of the Human Wall, and then he took in his surroundings, desperately hoping he had them right. On impulse, he moved toward a small, ramshackle wood house, and the others followed uncertainly.

The closer they got to the house, the more it seemed deserted. Finally, Rufio stopped, siezed by a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Be still," he whispered, sensing that the boys immediately froze. Perhaps they felt it, too.

Something rustled some ten yards in front of them, paused, and went on its way. The noise was between the Lost Boys and the house.

Finally, when he was absolutely certain the perpetrator of the noise was long gone, he said, "Go west, young men."

"We're not men," a Lost Boy said.

"Hush. We're going." With that, he set off away from the Human Wall and toward the capital of Wonderland.

OUAT

The entire group of Merry Men gathered around the greenwood tree. Bae and Morraine sat close together, he gently stroking her arm. The afternoon was mild in the forest, so no one in the group felt much like moving. Besides, for almost a week there hadn't been any news other than an unknown event stirring from the direction of Wonderland.

"There you guys are."

Bae looked up at the speaker, the black-leather-clad human-sized puppet that anyone would recognize should they see him again. "Oh, hello, August," Bae replied. "Are you here to stop by?"

"Yeah, yeah, I am." August took a seat on Bae's other side. "Looks like life is pretty good here."

Bae chuckled. "It's quite a life, I'll tell you what."

"I bet it is."

"So, how're things?"

"Well, the bridge is holding up pretty well, the bike's still in good shape, I haven't seen speck of dust or wing of the Blue Fairy or any fairy for almost a month, and rumor about the forest is that something is stirring beyond the Soldiers' Brigade."

"That's no rumor. I felt it. But that's all the news anyone seems to have, unless Papa knows something he's not telling me."

"Wouldn't surprise me. Seems like he'd do anything to protect you."

Bae blushed and bowed his head. "You haven't heard about the snail, have you?" Morraine asked.

"What snail?"

"So, Bae's playing about with some friends and a ball near the street, the ball goes wide, in front of a cart. Bae runs to get it, scrapes his knee, pisses off the merchant before the merchant realizes Bae is Rumpelstiltskin's son, Rumpelstiltskin appears and turns the merchant into a snail before promptly stomping on him, all before the events can be adequately explained."

"Thank you for making that as painless as possible," Bae said, lifting his head again.

"Of course."

"Your dad turned a random dude into a snail because you scraped your knee?" August asked. "I'd hate to live in that household."

"Now you're old enough that you don't have to." August laughed and ruffled Bae's hair.

"Well," he said as he stood, "suppose I should be off."

"You can stay, if you like."

August nodded and pursed his lips. "I'll be around."

"You're not crossing the bridge again, are you?"

"Maybe in a while, but you know I won't be gone long."

"I know."

August turned to walk out of the clearing, but before he could take a single step, the pulse of evil could be felt again.


	9. Convergence Part Two

Convergence Part Two

August turned back toward Bae and said, "Please tell me you felt that?"

"Yes, in the next kingdom," Bae replied.

"I think we all did," another Merry Man said, to a soft chorus of agreement.

Bae, Morraine, and almost every other Merry Man present stood and grabbed their weapons.

"Wait, where're you going?" August asked.

Bae pointed in the direction the pulse had come from. "That way."

"Are you nuts? It feels like pure evil in a can."

"Exactly." He pointedly picked up a quiver and then strapped it to his waist. "Robbing noblemen is a good sport and serves its purpose, but a greater purpose is served when evil is taken on and conquered."

"Whatever you say, kid. But I still think it's crazy."

Bae smirked and shrugged. "I know, but everything I do is crazy, almost."

"I'd buy that."

"So, are you coming or what?"

"What?"

"Are you coming with us or are you going to stay here or worse, run the other way?"

August shrugged. "Do I have much of a choice?"

"Depends on what you think."

"God, you can be confusihng."

"If you're going to go, you better do it now."

"Okay." August followed Bae and Morraine, joined by the rest of the Merry Men.

OUAT

Tinker Bell suddenly had the sense that Hook was, if not dead, close to it. She rushed out of her room and turned her gaze toward the Human Wall. Hook had said he was out to rescue his son. Had something happened to him along the way?

One way to find out. She walked into the forest outside Pallorwall and didn't once pause when she saw the soldiers forming the Wall. She walked up to one of the soldiers and blew dust into his face, to which he reacted violently. The nearest two other soldiers moved to grab her, and she smashed their heads together and grabbed a spear from one of them. The next soldier to move toward her recieved a smack in the chest with the butt of the spear, and Tink took off.

Another soldier lunged for her, and she smacked him and dove into the forest.

The soldiers broke away from the wall to give chase. "Okay, you playing-card-inspired freaks, let's go," she said, turning to face them. "That is, if you can fly."

Several of the men stopped and looked at each other, and then they rushed her again. Tink merely drifted up and smirked, and then she flew toward the center of Wonderland.

OUAT

The Lost Boys had walked along a river bed until the sun hung low in the sky before Slightly suggested they rest. But Rufio simply couldn't sleep. Instead, he stared up at the stars and mused on how useless it would be to count them all like some couples tried to do, and how much they looked like specks of fairy dust.

And he wondered where Tinker Bell was now, and if she knew where Captain Hook and Peter had got off to. There were soldiers about in the forest, which meant they were looking for fugitives. Could that be them? Or the Lost Boys? Or were they looking for another group entirely? Or was it all three?

Either way, he had the sense that if Peter and Hook were captured, or if they themselves arrested, they would never see eacn other again. They would either die in prison or be executed.

The soldiers were looking for resisters, Rufio realized. Anyone who lined their border with soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder would certainly have a problem with anyone getting in or out, and it was a sure sign of oppression. Oppressors hated resisters, so resisters had to be rounded up and killed for their treason. Tresspassers could easily be seen as resisters, so they had to be taken in, too, so the Lost Boys' time in Wonderland was numbered and being closely watched. It was only a matter of them eluding capture long enough to stay alive.

But that was a tall order, and Rufio doubted his ability to fill it. Much as Peter was capricious and vicious, he always seemed to know what he was doing, even if it was something aimed at having fun. Now Rufio found himself in the position of leader and ran the risk of getting them all killed. And there was nothing fun about that.

He closed his eyes and waited for his mind to stop. He couldn't handle the possibility of losing them. The boys were his family when his real family didn't want him, Peter Pan or no, and now he was responsible for them, and anything that happened to them would be on him.

Rufio finally began to understand why Peter Pan didn't want any of the Lost Boys to grow up. Responsibility could be such a crushing weight.

OUAT

Tinker Bell flew almost constantly through the night, until she spotted the first sign of civilization she'd seen in hours. The sign in question was a ramshackle house, but it was a step in the right direction. She dropped to the dirt next to the house, planted the butt of the spear next to her, and sank to her knees, panting. She shook her head and looked up, anxious to take off again and head off in the direction of the capital, but she simply didn't have the energy, no matter how much she thought about the captain.

She let go of the spear and curled into a ball next to it. Her breathing slowed, but she barely felt tired.

The forest was eerily quiet. No bugs chirped, no birds sang, and if the dry river beds were any indication, there wasn't a stream or river anywhere in Wonderland. So how did the mushrooms live? she wondered. Surely they needed water to live. Unless they were magical mushrooms and supported by the queen. It happened before, in Neverland, and she'd seen it.

Finally, she stood again and turned toward the west. She grabbed the spear and took off again.

OUAT

The Lost Boys stopped just outside the capital gates. Again, there were soldiers en masse everywhere within sight in the city limits. "Now what?" Slightly asked.

Rufio peered at the soldiers and said, "We wait out here until they're all asleep, and then we go in."

Slightly shrugged. "Fine by me." The other Lost Boys nodded in agreement, and they set up their camp at a point especially selected to allow them to observe without being observed.

OUAT

Bae, Morraine, August, and the Merry Men moved soundlessly, or in August's case, as soundlessly as possible, through the forest, and just as it started to get dark, Bae stopped them. "There they are," he said, pointing to a wall of soldiers in strangely colored armor.

"How do we get past that?" August asked. "It's like a human wall."

"It is a human wall, and humans," Bae plucked an arrow from his quiver and turned to face August, "are squishy."

"Dude, you just reminded me of your dad."

"Sorry about that." Bae returned the arrow to his quiver. "But it's true." He turned back to the Soldiers' Barricade. "Question is, when do we start?" He studied the soldiers for a moment and then glanced at the sun. "Alright," he said, arming his bow. "Aim for their throats."

"I can't watch," August mumbled. He turned away as the Merry Men formed a line and the order passed along it. If the soldiers could see them, it would have looked like a single line of sharp objects all aimed at them.

"Carefully," Bae said. "Aim carefully." Several Merry Men adjusted their aim. "And...fire."

Well over a hundred arrows whistled through the air and found their marks in just as many men. The last sight many of these men saw was a hoarde of green-clad youths charging at them.

OUAT

Tinker Bell finally spotted the distinctive hair of Rufio and the distinctly-indistinct Twins, which meant the other Lost Boys weren't far off. She landed and leaned the spear against the trunk of the nearest tree. "Rufio," she said.

"Tinker Bell," he replied. "What're you doing here?"

"Jas is in there." She gestured to the capital.

"You do realize this is futile, right? That place is full of soldiers. We're waiting for them to be exhausted and start falling asleep on the job."

"As long as they don't execute him, I can wait forever, but I doubt that's going to happen."

"So what would you do?"

"Fight my way toward him. It's not the first time I saved Jas."

"Think that's going to work?"

"That's how I got my ass in here." Rufio, Slightly, and the Twins all looked at her. "What? It's true." They blinked. "They're kind of looking for me now, but they're pussies anyway, so I guess it doesn't really matter."

"Doesn't really matter?" Slightly asked. His voice started the climb up the ladder of octaves. "They're gonna kill us."

"They're pansies."

"Pansies?" a voice behind her asked.


	10. Escape

Escape

Tinker Bell spun and clapped her hand on the spear. Rufio and Slightly urged the Twins into hiding. Tink and the soldier launched into a clash, staff on staff, and on the side, she managed to disarm two others and work their weapons to Rufio and Slightly. "What're we supposed to do?" Slightly asked.

"Make your asses useful," Tink replied. The soldier was now between her and the Lost Boys. They shrugged to each other, and Rufio stabbed the soldier in the back, freeing Tink up to turn to another before he ended her life. Slightly shrugged again and drove his weapon into the chest of an oncoming but unsuspecting soldier.

Tinker Bell glanced over the shoulder of her newest opponent, launched herself over him, and ran toward the open gate of the city amid the cards swirling in the breeze, striking any soldiers that attempted to make contact with her.

But besides the guards at the gate, who were now all groaning in pain or unconscious, the streets were deserted. She looked up at the Collosseum-like structure looming over the rest of the capital, and she walked toward it. Footsteps behind her indicated that either the Twins or Rufio and Slightly had followed her.

Tinker Bell checked the Collosseum for guards and then entered. Asleep at a desk was a jailer, and a couple of his assistants were getting drunk over a game of cards and a platter of fruit. She continued on to a stairwell that led to the dungeon, and she descended.

The corridors below were damp and rank when the air wasn't heated by torches, where it was drier but the stench was worse.

"Hello? Can you hear us?" came a voice from a cell just ahead of her.

"Peter?" Tink asked. It wasn't like him to be desperate, but then again, he hadn't exactly been in jail before, either.

"Yeah, it's me. Tink? Can you hear me?"

"I'm talking to you, aren't I?"

She reached the cell. Peter was clinging to the bars, an old man chained to the wall was dozing or dead, and Hook was sitting in a corner. "Miss Bell," he said.

"Jas. Who's the old guy?"

"No idea," Peter said.

"What're you doing here?" Hook asked.

"What do you think? I told you when we killed the crocodile that it wouldn't be the first time I saved your sorry ass."

"Here to save the codfish again, I see," Peter said, stepping back from the cell and putting his hands on his hips.

"Look, kid, if you two don't get out of here, it's off with your heads within the week. Do you honestly think I'm stupid enough or trusting enough to let you figure out a solution?"

"She has a point," Hook said.

"So she's here to rescue us. What do we do once we get out?" Peter asked.

"Run like bats out of hell."

"And go where?"

"Pallorwall," Tink and Hook said at the same time.

"Then what? Way I see it, we're pretty much screwed no matter what we do. And there's no getting out of here, anyway."

"Two of the jailers are drinking and the other is asleep," Tinker Bell said. "Jas, help me with the lock, would you?" He walked over to her and slipped his hook into the lock. A few moments of careful jiggling later, it clicked, and the door slid easily open. "Thank you much."

"Of course," he replied. "Now, let's go while we still can." Tink paused and then cursed. "What?"

"I left a bunch of really pissed off guards at the gate."

"Told you so," Peter said.

"We can still fly, yes?" Hook asked.

"Okay, we're back in business," Tink replied. "Let's go."

"You're not going anywhere," a man in a black and red, card-inspired uniform said.

OUAT

The Twins returned from the capital and reported in a phrase what had taken place. Rufio and Slightly looked at each other, nodded, and said simultaneously, "Get the others." Within fifteen minutes, all the Lost Boys were gathered just outside the capital gates. "Okay, let's go, while we still can," Rufio said, and he and Slightly led the march into the capital.

OUAT

Tink spun on the man and moved to strike him with the butt of the spear. He grabbed the shaft and twisted, and it spun her into the wall opposite them. Hook pushed Peter behind him and lunged for the man, hook flashing. The man blocked with the spear, which Tink made a grab for.

Peter stepped forward, pushed past them both, and grabbed the man's chin before he could register and react to what was happening. His eyes glowed red, and he whispered, "Drop the spear." The man instantly released his grip, and the weapon fell into his free hand. He tossed the spear toward Tinker Bell and released the man. Tink grabbed the weapon and took a few steps back.

Hook and Peter stood between her and the man, but she could see him through the space between them. She squared her shoulders and began to size him up. He looked, for the most part, fidgety, only able to act on orders from someone else. She guessed by the uniform that this someone else was the Queen of Hearts.

She found it hard to believe, in short, that the man could dare to be assertive, so she stepped forward and asked, "What's your queen going to do when she finds out how weak you are?"

"What are you talking about?" the man replied.

"You know damn well. In fact," she stepped between the boys and drove the point of the spear into his gut, "you know well enough how to put on a face you can't wear just to survive. Good luck." She pulled the spear out and said to Hook and Peter, "Let's go, before the guards at the gate are lucid enough to know what's up."

She stepped around the bleeding man, followed by a somewhat reluctant Hook and a reluctant and confused Peter.

OUAT

Rufio and Slightly stopped the Lost Boys once he noticed that the guards were taking notice of them. He also spotted three figures emerging from the Collosseum structure looming over the rest of the city. "Back," he yelled. The Lost Boys worked their way backward and some were already beyond the gates when the slightly dazed guards moved toward them.

The figures coming from the Collosseum bolted toward them, and Rufio, Slightly, the Twins, and the remaining Lost Boys turned and ran out of the gate.

The lead figure over came Rufio and spun him to face...her? "It's me," Tink replied. "We're on your side, and we're pretty much screwed, so running's probably a good idea. Keep going." She released Rufio, and he ran.

Tink turned toward Hook and Peter and struck the guards nearest them. When they were close enough, she said, "Go to the gates. I'll cover you."

Peter obeyed, but Hook positioned herself at her side. "I do owe you this," he said, brandishing his hook.

"No time to argue." She sank in her stance, narrowed her eyes, and muttered, "Let's dance."

Two guards had armed themselves and lunged toward the fugitives, both recieving effective blocks from them. Then the two launched an offensive that injured their attackers and anyone else who came near them, leaving the guards all again dazed, though this time some were bleeding. "Alright, now we can go," Hook said. Tink nodded in agreement, and they walked briskly out of the capital gates.


	11. Something Wicked

Something Wicked

Baelfire and the Merry Men had managed to make it past the wall of soldiers with only a few more deaths to their arrows. A few evasive tactics ensured that they lost the men in the forest, and they could continue silently until they solved the mystery of what was causing the evil energy to pulse through the land. Bae contemplated, several times, asking Zoso about it, but he figured that would be unfair payment for what he did for the spirit and those of other past Dark Ones.

And he still had the mystery of the Blue Fairy on his hands, though he had help in the form of August for that one.

The Merry Men continued through the dead, mushroom-consumed forest, waiting for soldiers to appear out of nowhere to try to arrest them, and then there was no telling what would happen after that, though it was reasonable in Bae's mind to assume that they would die.

But for a day afterward, they hadn't seen hide or hair of anyone, friend or foe. Many Merry Men had for hours only drawn their weapons in an effort to catch and kill a little food. Some considered the plants but were warned by Morraine that they could be poisonous.

Finally, toward sunset the second day of their sojourn into Wonderland, they spotted a knot of people approaching them. Bae and Morraine stepped forward, armed, and Bae called, "Who are you?"

"Friends," a female voice replied. "Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, Peter Pan, and Lost Boys."

"How are you here?"

"We're fugitives from her."

"Are you tresspassers?"

"Yes."

"We gather you are, as well," Hook added.

"Then she'll have to live with it," Bae said.

"So you intend to stay?"

"Better believe we do." Bae chanced to glance over the newcomers' heads, and he said, "I personally suggest you better hide."

Hook and Tinker Bell looked up, followed shortly by the boys.

A dark cloud loomed over the horizon. Thunder from the lighting within the could could be heard by the Merry Men in the very back of their loosely formed ranks.

And it rolled swiftly toward them.

Bae felt it and immediately determined that it was identical to the pulses that had drawn him to Wonderland in the first place.

"Now what?" someone asked.

"Run?" someone else suggested. The Merry Men scattered. Bae and Morraine stayed near the captain and his group, and they made efforts to urge them into a hiding place.

For several agonizing moments, Peter, Hook, Tink, Slightly, and Rufio were rooted to where they stood. The Lost Boys seemed reluctant to leave their leaders. Finally, Bae and Morraine resorted to manhandling every last one of them deeper into the forest and behind a gigantic green mushroom whose stalk was big enough, along with the neighboring tree, to conceal all of them.

The cloud passed over the ground, engulfing everything in its path. Bae could only guess what it was like to have magic enter Storybrooke, but this seemed close enough in his mind. When it passed over the group in hiding, Bae was reminded of the encounter with the spirits of the Dark Ones in the Evil Queen's basement, so similar was the sting of the could to the sting of the spirits of past Dark Ones. He met Morraine's gaze and read in her eyes the same conclusion he had come to, and he nodded as if to agree with her.

"What's happening?" Peter asked in a small voice.

"I think we're screwed," Hook replied.


End file.
